Wales Book of the Year 2008
WALES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2008
At the Hilton Hotel, Cardiff on Tuesday night the Wales Book of the Year Award was won by Gareth Miles for the Welsh-language award and Dannie Abse for the English- language award. Runners up for the Welsh-language award were Tony Bianchi and Ceri Wyn Jones. The runners up for the English-language award were Tom Bullough and Nia Wyn. Those present will have witnessed Heritage Minister Rhodri Glyn Thomas misread the card he had been given and at first announce Tom Bullough as winner before correcting himself and announcing instead that the English language award had gone to Dannie Abse. This was simple human error and one for which the Minister immediately apologised.
The format of the card from which the Minister read had been used successfully on seven previous occasions. One was for the Book of the Year Award won by Gareth Miles, announced immediately before the Tom Bullough misreading. The Cards say in large bold type the name of the winner. Below this, in much smaller, regular type and preceded by the word Runners-up are the names of the runners up. The name of the winner is preceded, in bold type, with the words The Winner.
The Wales Book of the Year Award is a joint project managed by the Academi and funded by the Arts Council of Wales. It has the support of both the BBC and the Welsh Books Council. The prize enhances writing in Wales and against a background of increasing book production marks out Welsh works of creative writing that really matter. Winning is a significant event. Academi sincerely regrets the distress caused to Tom Bullough and to the other authors involved.
Dannie Abse has won the Wales Book of the Year 2008 for his book The Presence published by Hutchinson, and received the £10,000 prize.
The Presence written after Abse’s wife Joan was killed in a car accident in June 2005, is both a journal of his grief and a portrait of a marriage which lasted more than fifty years. His book was described in the Independent as ‘supremely fresh and vital…matching profound emotion with witty observation…a truly marvellous book.’ ’
The judges for the 2008 English-language Award are academic and literary critic Damian Walford Davies, writer and broadcaster Trevor Fishlock and journalist and broadcaster Mavis Nicholson.
The winner of the Welsh-language award, who also received a £10,000 prize, was Gareth Miles for his book Y Proffwyd a’i Ddwy Jesebel.
The judges are academic and poet Huw Meirion Edwards, author and former winner of the Wales Book of the Year (1995) Aled Islwyn and broadcaster and S4C presenter Sian Thomas.
Welsh Assembly Government Heritage Minister, Rhodri Glyn Thomas said:
“From the Black Book of Carmarthen to Rape of the Fair Country, Wales has a fantastic literary history in both our national languages. The Wales Book of the Year Award builds on this by recognising the amazing talent we have to offer. We can justly claim that we are continuing to make our mark on the literary map of the world in both English and Welsh."
Peter Finch, Academi Chief Executive commented:
“The annual Wales Book of the Year Award rewards the best creative books our country has produced. In times of rising publication numbers it is increasingly hard fought over. The idea that one book in each language should win over all others may be controversial but the award is certainly deserved. Dannie Abse is up there at the top of the Welsh tree. Academi applauds.”
The two equal runners-up on the English-language prize were Nia Wyn’s moving account of her son’s cerebral palsy, Blue Sky July (Seren / Penguin), and novelist Tom Bullough’s powerful novel, The Claude Glass (Sort of Books), set in the Welsh borders. Tony Bianchi’s Pryfeta (Y Lolfa) and Ceri Wyn Jones’ Dauwynebog were runners-up in the Welsh-language prize.
The award is administered by Academi with the financial support of the Arts Council of Wales, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Welsh Books Council.